The Definition of Friendship (noun)
by CupcakeFlake
Summary: Friendship (n): a relationship of mutual affection between two or more people. Teddy and Victoire were the best of friends. And then they weren't. They slowly grew close again, but it wasn't the same as before. It couldn't be the same. They just didn't understand why.
1. Prologue

**The Definition of Friendship (noun)**

**_A Tale of Victoire Weasley, Ted Lupin, and Friends_  
**

**A/N: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I've returned to the world of HP fanfiction, with writing skills that have hopefully been improved since the closing of Learning To Love Him!**

**This is going to be a relatively short MULTICHAPTER fic, but hope you enjoy! I'm venturing into the canonically uncharted waters of Next Gen, into the budding romance of Ted Lupin and Victoire Weasley.**

**Also, my intentions are to have much longer chapters than I usually write (with a minimum of 2000 words each, not including authors notes. It used to be at least 1000, including authors notes.)**

**And this story will run a little differently. It will be episodic. Basically, each chapter has its own separate plots and conflicts and resolutions, like a TV show. Near the end, though, it will start reading more like a book. Or that's my intention, anyway.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter because for some reason JK Rowling and Warner Bros. don't want to give them to me. The nerve of some people, honestly.**

**HERE'S THE DEAL. I NEED REVIEWS TO UPDATE. EVEN JUST ONE. I LIVE A BUSY LIFE SO I DON'T WANT TO WRITE IF NOBODY'S GONNA READ SO IF YOU LIKE IT JUST REVIEW "here" OR SOMETHING SIMPLE. IT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO BE A REAL REVIEW I JUST NEED TO KNOW YOU CARE ENOUGH ABOUT THIS STORY.**

* * *

Friendship:

_(n). a relationship of mutual affection between two or more people._

* * *

_Prologue_

_o_

Teddy: Age 8

Victoire: Age 6

o

Victoire closed her light eyes and leaned against the rough tree.

"Fifty, forty-nine, forty-eight, forty...forty..."

"Seven!" a young boy's voice squeaked from her right.

Victoire smiled, her lips catching a little of the tree's sap. "Thanks!" she said. "Forty-seven, forty-six—"

"Hang on, Vic, you heard me! Now I gotta find another place to hide!"

Victoire's eyes popped open and she tore from the tree, eyes searching for her friend. "I don't wanna count all over again!"

"Well, you're going to have to!" said the boy, climbing out from behind a blueberry bush.

They had a silent staring contest, Victoire losing almost immediately. She was about to huff a submissive "Alright" when a bright color caught her attention.

"Hey, you're hair's green! That's cheating, Teddy!"

Teddy blinked twice, hair turning to a plain brown. "No it's not."

"Cheater." Victoire marched toward Teddy, feet crunching the dried leaves of autumn. "No cam-camo-coma- no _camouflage_ allowed!"

"Nope, nope, nope. No rules agains—"

"Ted!" came a voice, and the childrens' heads snapped towards the cottage door. A smiling redhead woman was poking out the wooden doorframe. "Come on, it's time to go!"

"Can't I—"

"No!"

"But—"

"I said no!"

"Aunt Ginny—"

"Teddy Remus Lupin, I said no and that's final. Now come on, James is still at home napping and Merlin knows his father can't be trusted to let him sleep."

Teddy frowned, head tilting toward Victoire. "Bye, Vic," he said, shuffling his feet. "See ya 'round."

"Right."

Teddy ran over to Ginny, who clutched his arm tightly. The two disappeared in an instant.

Victoire's eyes lingered on where her aunt and best friend had been standing moments ago. The slightest of sighs left her lips. Then she carefully wiped the sap off her mouth and entered the house. Perhaps she could entertain her 4-year old sister.

* * *

Teddy: Age 9

Victoire: Age 7

o

"—and then the nargles came infesting all the mistletoe, and the couples' brains went fuzzy!"

Molly, Fred, James, and Dominique clutched one another as if their life depended on it. Victoire meanwhile simply watched with interest as Teddy continued to tell his elaborate tale.

"And just when Professor Uglepuke thought he had found the cure for nargles.." he paused, grinning at the youngsters' wide eyes. "They fuzzy-fied his brain too!"

"Whahabenden?" Fred asked, eyes never blinking.

"What happened then, you ask?" Teddy said, standing up and crossing his arms. "Then, the centaur army stormed in and crushed the evil nargles to bits and everyone's brains were cleared! The end!"

All of the babies, as well as Victoire, cheered.

Teddy took a short bow and sat down, grinning at Victoire. She then took a shaky breath and stood up, knees quavering.

"I'm going to tell a story, too."

"Go Twah!" Dominique squealed. The children clapped and Victoire cleared her throat.

"Once...there was a...flying rat. And his name was Billy. And Billy flew around all over the world, searching for a delicious turkey to eat for his feast. And then—"

"Pardon me," Audrey Weasley said, strolling into the room. "But rats don't eat turkey. And they don't have feasts."

Victoire looked at her for a moment, and began to sit down and hug her knees.

But then Teddy spoke up. "It's a fairy tale, though. Anything can happen."

Audrey chortled at the childrens' silly imaginations, then headed into the kitchen. Teddy glanced over at Victoire and gestured for her to continue.

Victoire released her knees, but remained seated. "The rat...Benny — I mean Billy — err... he was looking for some turkey to eat...when he found a talking turkey. And he felt sorry for it and decided to give up meat and he became a vegetarian like rats are supposed to."

Her eyes closed. Silence rang in her ears.

Teddy blinked, then watched the infants, who were so bored they were finding entertainment in poking each other. Feeling a pang of sympathy, he inched toward his still friend and nudged her.

"Hey, Vic. Loved the story."

"It was rubbish," came a mumbled reply.

Teddy hesitated. "No it wasn't. You just need to be more inventive. Talk to Aunty Luna, she's where I got most of my ide—"

"Waaaaaahhhhhh!" said Fred, who had just been poked in the eye by a frightened Molly.

Teddy immediately stood up. "Hang on, Vic." He patted Fred on the shoulder, then ran into the kitchen shouting "Aunty Audrey!"

Victoire sheepishly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then crawled over to the infants to offer some comfort.

* * *

Teddy: Age 10

Victoire: Age 8

o

"Thank you for the yummy dinner, Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry," said Victoire, sipping her disgusting soup.

"Aw," Ginny crooned. "How sweet. Fleur, your daughter has such great table manners. Much better than Teddy or James or Albus."

Fleur smiled, running her fingers through Victoire's long hair that was currently reflecting the shine of the full moon coming through the window. "Yes, Bill and I are very proud of 'er. She's growing up to be such a leetle lady."

Victoire beamed, then continued to force down the horrendous stew.

"I hope this next one's a girl," Ginny sighed, patting her belly. "I don't know how Mum survived raising six boys before me, I can hardly raise two."

Teddy, from across the table, tried to subtly wave at Victoire. Once she finally noticed him, her pointed and the soup and made a gagging motion. Victoire bit back a giggle but then nodded vigorously.

Teddy made a strange motion with his thumb. Victoire looked at him, utterly confused. He scrunched his eyebrows and repeated the motion. Victoire shrugged, mouthing _I don't get it_.

Teddy frowned in thought and paused. He pointed at Victoire. Then at himself. Then away from the table. It took her a moment, but Victoire soon understood. "You, me, let's leave this table."

Victoire paused, weighing her options. Then she glanced at the adults of the table. "Mummy, Daddy, Aunt Ginny, Uncle Harry, may I go play with Teddy now?"

"Of course, dear," said Ginny, and the two youngsters pushed their chairs back. They dashed upstairs fast as a lightning spell, pausing in front of a door.

"This," Teddy whispered, "is James's room. And that," pointing to the door next to it, "is Albus's room. And that door across the hall will be Aunt Ginny's new baby's room."

Victoire looked at the doors with curiosity. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Wow," she breathed, gazing at the doors as if they led to a magic kingdom. "How do you know all this, Teddy?"

"I listen."

Victoire rested her hand on James's door. "Let's go in!"

Teddy's hand reacted instantly. "Wait, James is still taking a nap. So is Albus. When we go in, we have to be quiet."

"Right."

Together, they slowly turned and pulled the doorknob.

"PLAY!" James shouted immediately, throwing a stuffed animal across the smooth crib bars and into the air. Ted skillfully dodged it, and it hit Victoire in the head. For a split second, all was still. But then, the a grin climbed onto three kids' faces, and all of them grabbed stuffed animals and began tossing them at each other, laughing.

* * *

Teddy: Age 11

Victoire: Age 9

o

"VICTOIRE! VIC! I GOT MY LETTER!" Teddy came bouncing across the lawn, leaping over the garden gnomes and grinning like a fool. When no response came, Teddy crouched down and scooped up a few dusty pebbles. He threw them up at Victoire's second-story window.

The window slid open and out poked Victoire's little bright face. "Teddy! You threw rocks at me!"

"At your window, not you!" he said, grinning. "But look what I got!" He waved a sheet of parchment high above his head. Pride was flashing from his face.

"I can't see from up here!" Victoire called. "Hang on, I'll come down!"

"No need, I'll come up!" Teddy enthusiastically bounced to the front door, skipped across the floor, and danced up the stairs. He would've crashed into Victoire's door if she hadn't been so smart and opened it beforehand.

The boy immediately jumped on her cushioned bed and lunged the piece of parchment forward. Victoire delicately picked it up and eagerly read it.

_Dear Mr. Lupin,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Headmistress_

Victoire looked up, her grin identical to Teddy's. "This is so great! Congrats!"

"Yeah." Teddy laid back on the bed, back pressed against the soft blankets and arms stretched behind his head. "I'm going to Hogwarts!"

Victoire's smile felt forced. She opened her mouth to speak, hesitated, then said, "I'm going to be all alone with nobody but Dom."

Teddy's eyes met hers. He sat up straight. "Vic, you'll be fine. You've got an entire family who loves you. Dom and Louis and James and Albus and Molly and everyone else. You don't need me."

A pout met Victoire's face. "But you're my best friend. The rest of them are just little kids."

Teddy twiddled his thumbs for a moment, then leaned forward to give her a quick hug. They tore apart, and he said, "Say what. I'll write every week, Mademoiselle Weasley, how's that?" He tilted his head slightly, a teasing grin on his face.

Victoire grinned back. "You'd better, Monsieur Lupin."

They stayed like that for a moment, and Teddy leaned back to rest his back against the bed again. "Wonder what house I'll sort into. Gradmum says I'll be in Hufflepuff, like my mum was. Uncle Harry says I'll be Gryffindor like my dad. Aunt Ginny says I'll be a Ravenclaw."

"What about slithering?" Victoire asked.

"Slytherin. And who knows. I don't want to be in there, though. Uncle Ron says—"

"Teddy! Are you up there?" Bill's voice rang out from downstairs. "Your grandmum's been looking for you!"

"Oh, right, my grandmum." said Teddy, scrunching his eyebrows. "She must be worried. Better get going." He stood up and seized his Hogwarts letter. "Bye, Vic. See ya 'round."

* * *

Teddy: Age 12

Victoire: Age 10

o

_Dear Victoire,_

_Second year is so much more difficult than first year! Professor Longbottom is having us study Mandrakes. D'you know what they are? They're these big plants and you have to wear earmuffs because when you pull them out of the ground, they start screaming like mad. My friend Jacob actually fainted._

_I told you about Jacob, right? He's the loud Muggleborn who always says he'll marry Barbara Wood one day. Luckily for him, Barbara's in Ravenclaw, not Gryffindor, so she didn't have to see him faint. She might've seen him being carried over to the Hospital Wing, though. I dunno._

_Potions was hectic yesterday, too. Professor Barkwith told us to invent our own potion based after the concepts we learned last year. Myron said he was barking, and I agreed. The class nearly went up in flames with all the explosions!_

_When you come to Hogwarts, LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES. Do not use Erumpent fluid unless Professor Barkwith tells you too. Unless of course, you want to prank someone. But you still have to be careful so you don't die!_

_It's a blast, at any rate. Myron and Jacob keep trying to get us into trouble. Myron says it's our job to "keep the Gryffindor mischievous spirit alive." He keeps We've already pranked a first year Hufflepuff. I felt a bit sorry for her after, though. I ended up apologizing. She said her name was Anne. You'd like her, I think. She's sweet._

_Quidditch tryouts are next week, also. Jacob wants me to try out with him. He's going to try to be a Keeper. What should I try out for? I'm thinking either Chaser or Seeker._

_Blimey, this letter's gotten long. I'd better get going. Professor Binns is already giving us a History of Magic quiz tomorrow. I've got to study._

_'Til next time!_

_Teddy Lupin_

* * *

Teddy: Age 13

Victoire: Age 11

o

"I'm Simone Hoghedge."

"Victoire Weasley."

"You're a Weasley? Really? I've heard about you! Who's your dad? Is it Ron?"

"Err...no, my dad's name is Bill."

"Oh, right, I've heard about him, too!"

Victoire tapped her feet unevenly and glanced out the train compartment's window. The city view had already vanished and now images of the country were rushing past.

"I love your hair," commented Simone, twiddling her thumb. Victoire nodded curtly and continued to stare out the window.

Suddenly, the compartment door screeched open. A boy's voice said, "Excuse me?"

Victoire's head snapped toward the voice, but it wasn't Teddy. She held back a disappointed sigh, and instead asked politely, "Yes?"

"Err...hi." The boy shifted his weight back and forth. "All the other compartments are full. May I sit here?" He scratched his head and didn't look up.

"Of course," said Victoire, and she scooted over to make room. The boy cautiously sat down. "What's your name?"

"Raymond Ogg." He still didn't look up.

"No need to be so shy," said Simone, beaming.

Raymond looked up finally and offered Simone a hesitant smile. Then he slowly rotated his neck and looked at Victoire. He froze.

"Er—um—yeah—hi?" He looked down again, a blush on his face. "Hi."

Victoire furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, but then shook her head. She held out her hand. "I'm Victoire, and that's Simone."

"Raymond. Wait...I already said that."

The door to the compartment slid open again, and Victoire raised her head slowly to see who it was. An elderly witch poked her head in. "Anything off the trolley?"

Simone stood up immediately. "Absolutely, I'm starved. My mum barely fed me this morning. Said I needed to save my room for the feast. She's bonkers, though. Or that's what I think. Have any chocolate frogs?"

After buying a few snacks, Simone sat down and began peeling the plastic wrappers off. In the meantime, Victoire and Raymond reached for their own food. It took a while, but slowly they delved into conversation. Raymond apparently had 4 older siblings, all Muggles. Simone was a half-blood with two younger brothers.

The train pulled up to Hogwarts with a loud screech. Victoire, Raymond, and Simone climbed into a boat, the wood creaking under their footsteps. The boat drifted across the swooshing waves of the lake, the moon shining from overhead. The boats landed on the shore, and the children followed Hagrid into the castle.

Wonder struck them as they stepped into the warmth of the Great Hall.

Soon, the Sorting began.

Simone was the first of the three to try on the giant leathery hat, which cried out "GRYFFINDOR!" after a few moments.

Raymond was next. He sat down on the large wooden chair, knees shaking, before also being announced "GRYFFINDOR!"

After what felt like it was forever and ever and ever in her young mind, Victoire's name was finally called.

When the hat touched her head, she closed her eyes and breathed gently as the hat mumbled its thoughts.

"Ah, a Weasley again? I was wondering when I'd see one of you again! Hmm...I can see talent and determination, courage, and a desire to learn and to prove yourself. You would thrive in any of the Houses, m'dear."

Victoire's eyes opened, and the four tables flashed in her eyes. Any one of them could be her family. But one table caught her attention especially, one with a tall 13-year old boy with blue hair...

"Ah, I see you have a preference. Well, I think I know where to put you now. GRYFFINDOR!"

Eyes shining from the bright candles, Victoire pulled the hat off her head, and, in a rush of adrenaline, forgot her manners as she pranced over to the Gryffindor table. She sat next to Raymond, who showed her his first fearless smile, but her eyes searched across the table, looking for one face.

Teddy was turned away. A goblet appeared in front of her. Victoire picked it up and held it high in an attempt to capture Teddy's attention, but the effort was in vain. The alluring smell of the roasted foods caught her nose by surprise, so she momentarily gave up her efforts to enjoy her food.

After the feast, however, when she tried to catch up to her third year friend, she caught his eye momentarily—

And he looked away and walked away faster.

* * *

**And that was the prologue! I know, it wasn't that interesting, and kept jumping, but the point of this chapter was just exposition. I wanted to give you a feel for the characters and set everything in place before the story really begins. Now you have a taste for their personalities, relationships, etc.**

**Review, please! If anything sucked, PLEASE TELL ME! Even if it's the most ridiculous thing ever, tell me, so I can improve next time!**


	2. Confess (verb)

**OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU!**

**So it was funny. I publish the chapter, come home, and check my email. No reviews. So I'm all depressed, then I look at my profile, and I see the read "reviews" for my story and I just about die. No kidding. Then I see FOUR! For just one lousy prologue! So yeah. Turns out my iPad just doesn't like my email right now. (Blame Google)**

**Also, I remembered Victoire's cousin's name was Lucy, so I changed Lucy's name to Simone (Sim - own), to avoid confusion. Sorry!**

**Okay, so I always respond to reviews, so here goes:**

**rapunzelsa: First off, LOVE YOUR NAME CHOICE! It's perfect! Second, shut up. No, I don't mean stop the nitpicketing, I mean shut up when you say you're nitpicketing. Your review was pretty much the best I've ever gotten in my entire life. Except this one review that gave me a detailed recommendation of a waffle place when I asked waffles vs pancakes. That was so priceless. But yeah. Anyway, your review was so detailed! Thanks! I read it over a few times. Mind if I "defend" myself? First off, for the kids and the hug thing, that's...actually my childhood right there. XD. No kidding. The "whahabenden" is actually a direct quote of my two year old cousin. And Fred in the story was about two so...yeah. And I personally mixed up camouflage. But I get what you're saying about the cliché-ness, and the "little-kid-romantic-scene-ugh" thing. I wasn't trying, but a lot of things happen without you trying. Let's see if I can edit it and resolve those issues without me changing things I like. Also, what did you mean by overexplaining? Sorry I have trouble understanding people sometimes.**

**And also what you said about Gryffindor: Well, to be honest, I was gonna make Victoire and Simone and Raymond Ravenclaw, but my plot became unnecesarily complicated, so I changed it. I compromised by making most of the rest of the Weasley clan non-Gryffindor. (you'll see later). And for the Raymond thing...let's just say I got a whole plot figured out, and well, we'll see how close you are to it ;). And as for everything else, THANKS! =D So yeah. You deserve a medal for best review.**

**Light1172: G—gr—g—GRAMMAR ERRORS?! *faints of horror* Time for more editing. Lol.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Harry Potter, sorry. Lol.**

**HIDDEN SCAVENGER HUNT: Somewhere in this chapter is a sneaky reference to Pokemon. Can you find it?**

* * *

Confess:

_(v). to talk about or admit something that makes you embarrassed, ashamed, etc._

* * *

_Chapter 1: Confess_

_o_

"I think he just hates me."

Victoire held back a giggle. "Simone, just because you haven't gotten the hang of the charm, doesn't mean Professor Hobday hates you."

Simone shook her head. "No, no, he hates me. You got the spell right. Raymond got it right. That skinny dweeb with the glas—"

"Simone, that's rude," Raymond mumbled.

"It's true. Everyone's got it, and I haven't." She turned towards the feather, pointed her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa." The feather might as well have been nailed to the floor, for all it moved. Simone turned to Victoire. "Not even a twitch. I'm a horrible witch."

"That rhymed," commented Raymond, earning a glare from Simone. He immediately hid his face behind the nearest available textbook.

"Come on," Victoire insisted. "You'll get it. It's hardly been a week, and I barely got it right yesterday."

Simone groaned, the dramatically flopped backward onto her armchair. "Thanks. You're wrong, but thanks."

"Not at all." Victoire glanced up. "I'm hungry, when's dinner again?"

"A couple of hours ago."

"Right." She let out a huff of air, causing her silky blonde bangs to hover in the air. "Peas and roast, right?"

"And pudding." Simone added.

"Naturally."

The conversation died down to a semi-awkward silence. Simone yawned. Raymond began to read the textbook he'd picked up, but he snuck a quick glance at Victoire every now and then. Victoire laid her head back, shut her eyes, and rested.

She listened to the noises. The flip of a page, the crackle of a fire, the ta-tum sound of muffled footsteps. Then she heard a squeaking and a scraping noise. The sound of boys' voices echoed into the common room. "Did you _see_ that kid's face, Teddy? _Priceless_!"

Victoire's eyes popped open at the name Teddy. She snapped her head and saw three boys walk in through the portrait hole. All of them were laughing. The third boy, though, had blue hair.

Raymond and Simone quickly scurried off to their dorms, already aware of the identity — and reputation — of the three boys. Victoire immediately sunk deep into her spongy seat, hoping she wouldn't be noticed. She strained her neck, listening.

"Yeah, he was so surprised!" Victoire tried not to squeak when she heard Teddy's voice.

The third voice piped up. "Who'd've guessed that somebody with so much pink paint dripping down his face could have his mouth that wide open and not swallow any paint!"

The laughter grew louder. So did the footsteps. Victoire kept listening, keeping her breathing low so she wouldn't be heard. Her guess was that these boys were Myron and Jacob, Teddy's friends. She was trying to understand why they'd put paint on someone's head, when Teddy's voice spoke up. "Hey, you two go on ahead, I'm gonna finish off these crisps. I don't really fancy getting crumbs all over my bed."

"Such a responsible fellow, that Theodore Lupin is," one of the boys, whom Victoire guessed to be Myron, called out. He and Jacob snickered.

Out of the corner of her eye, Victoire saw Teddy push on their backs. "Go on, get," he laughed. Myron and Jacob climbed up the boys' staircase while Teddy sat down by the fire and tossed a crisp into the air, catching it in his mouth with a satisfying crunch.

Victoire chose this moment to stand up, ignoring the pain her back was now in. "Pink paint?"

Teddy's head snapped around wildly. His eyes locked into hers, and his face flashed with an unreadable expression. "Oh, err...hey. Hey." His eyes hurried over to the staircase. "I was just going up, actually, so—"

"You said you were eating the crisps."

Victoire's voice had a definite coolness to it, something that hit Teddy's nerves. "Err...you can have them, if you'd like." He tossed them over to Victoire, who made no move to catch them. The bag of crisps bounced off of her lap and onto the ground, spilling its contents out all over the floor. They were barbecue flavored. Victoire tried to ignore her rumbling stomach.

She glanced up, not sure what exactly she wanted to say. "So...how've you been?"

"All right, I suppose," he answered, eyes latched onto a point far above Victoire's head. "You?"

"Like you care," she said, the words spilling out of her mouth without permission. She slapped her hand over her mouth. "Sorry, that was rude. I'm fine."

Teddy finally looked at the girl. He scrunched his eyebrows, trying to figure out what on earth was going on inside of there. "Aren't you mad at me?"

"Duh."

"Then why are you so worried about being polite?"

Victoire didn't answer, just studied him. She blinked, then opened her mouth. Her words came out in a sort of flat tone. "Wow, Hogwarts has really changed you."

He immediately tensed up. "Don't you say that."

"It's true, though."

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is!"

"No, it's not!"

"Then why have you been ignoring me all week? I didn't do anything, did I?"

"Well...no..." He glanced at Victoire expectantly, but she didn't budge or give any indication she wanted to speak. He sighed. "Look, I'm a third year. I can't go around talking to first years. It's nothing personal."

"Nothing personal?" She clenched her fists. "I thought we were best friends! Or did that change when I got on the train?"

"Look, I'm sorry, but I just can't be seen hanging out with you! It's socia—"

"See? You have changed!" Her voice came out in an unpleasant bark. She stood up abruptly, stepping on the spilled crisps with a clear _crunch_. She glanced down at her feet, before kicking the crumbs over at Teddy. "You're cleaning that up." She shot a glare at Teddy, whose mouth was opened as if he intended to speak but couldn't. She shook her head, then marched to the girls' staircase.

Teddy watched her leave, then hesitantly walked over to where she had stood, crouched down, and began sweeping the crumbs with his hands.

* * *

Monday came. After lots of failed attempts at Wingardium Leviosa and multiple complaints about how she was "clearly a Squib", Simone finally agreed to let Victoire take her to see the Charms instructor, Professor Delphinus Hobday, after school for some additional help.

"Let me show you the motion again," he said, pulling out his own wand and performing the spell. "Wingardium Leviosa. Notice how my arm is circling around?"

Simone looked at her own wand. She took a breath and tried again. "Wingardium Leviosa." The feather stayed still.

"Hmm, your form looks all right, and there seems to be nothing wrong with your pronunciation or movements...how long have you been practicing?"

"Every day." Simone plopped into her seat, staring at the ceiling. "Must've tried it a hundred times by now.

"Sit up straight," Hobday instructed, and Simone sluggishly complied. "Let me see your wand."

"My wand?" Simone glanced over at Victoire, who shrugged. Simone turned to the teacher and handed it over, with a brief moment of hesitation.

Professor Hobday examined the wand appraisingly. "Yes, perhaps this wand isn't perfectly suited for you. I assume you got it at Ollivander's?"

"No, actually. My mum's from Beauxbatons, see, and she insisted I get my wand from Madame Chêne like her."

"Well, maybe that's your problem. As Ollivander is always saying*, the wand chooses the wizard. I recommend you buy a new wand at the next Hogsmeade trip.**"

"First years don't go to Hogsmeade."

"Oh, right." He scratched his head with his wand. "Well, I suppose you'll just have to wait until school lets out for the holidays." He laid back in his chair for a moment, giving Victoire and Simone the chance to exchange nervous glances. "Say what, I'll put a word in to McGonagall, and see if we can give you a day off to visit Ollivander's."

"Thanks, Professor," Simone mumbled, and the two girls scampered out of the office and met with Raymond.

"How'd it go?" he asked, feet tapping nervously against the cold stone floor.

"Turns out it was my bloody wand that was the trouble." Simone glared at her wand as if it had stabbed her family.

"Think on the bright side," said Victoire, stretching her face into a bright smile. "One you get a new wand, I bet you'll do amazing magic."

"I doubt it."

"You will." Her voice came out sternly.

"Thanks," said Simone. A smile formed. "You know, you're about the nicest person I've met."

Raymond nodded eagerly. "Yeah, you are!"

Victoire smiled. "Thanks." She suddenly felt much better than she had since the beginning of the term. Teddy had always been a good friend to her, but maybe his ignoring her was for the best. Now was the chance for her to make her own friends, and the two she had were great.

She glanced back and forth between her two new friends. Raymond opened his mouth as if he wanted to speak, but shut it, settling for a sheepish smile. Lucy was adjusting her robe.

_Yeah_, Victoire thought to herself. _I'll be just fine._

* * *

***Ollivander's is a family business, so even if the old Ollivander we knew died, we can assume he has a descendant who took his place, and that the descendant would have the same last name.**

****There's a branch of Ollivander's in Hogsmeade**

**Review! Criticism welcome!**


	3. Result (noun)

**Bonjour!**

**ATTENTION: As you may have noticed, I changed my pen name to "CupcakeFlake" because xX-T-luv-Xx is stupid.**

**Okay so the dealio (I think I mentioned it in the A/N of the prologue) is that THERE WILL BE LARGE TIME GAPS. So this chapter happens three months after the last one. If you feel like this story jumps too fast, either suck it up and enjoy the story, or find a better Teddy/Victoire story that covers 7 years in about 20 chapters.**

**Thanks for your reviews! Keep 'em coming!**

**SomeoneThatCares: Oh yeah this is definitely multichapter. SPOILER ALERT the last chapter before the epilogue will take place during the epilogue of HP. (That make sense?) And as for Raymond and Victoire, we'll see...**

**Wishingforanother: Yeah, don't worry about Raymond and Simone, they'll become more important and developed as the story wears on. You'll see, they're not just some Mary Sues or filler characters. :)**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Harry Potter. Because if it were up to me, I'd've killed Charlie off and not Fred. (I HAVE NO REGRETS SAYING THAT MWA HA HA HA)**

* * *

Result:

_(n). a consequence, effect, or outcome of something._

* * *

_Chapter 2: Result_

_o_

_Three Months Later_

_o_

"I believe you boys have some explaining to do?"

Teddy, Myron, and Jacob were sitting behind McGonagall's desk as she glared at them. Teddy had changed his hair to a humble brown. Myron was slouched over in his seat and stared up at the ceiling. Jacob was rapidly averting his glances between the three other members of the room, while tapping his fingers against his knee.

"I'm waiting."

Teddy and Myron exchanged glances. Finally Teddy spoke. "Is this about the Ravenclaw girl? Because we didn't hurt her or anything, the limp was only because she had two left—"

"Mr. Lupin, I'm not talking about the footwear, and you know that very well." She pushed her glasses up and slid her gaze over to Myron. "I'm talking about the fight in which you boys somehow found appropriate to engage yourselves."

Myron sighed. "Look, far as I know, the girl had some boyfriend, and he didn't like us pranking her, so he comes marching up to us like a mutant gorilla—"

"—more like an orangutan—" said Jacob.

"—and starts knocking some punches at me. He didn't even know how to aim, really."

McGonagall's eyes were filled with disapproval. "So you chose to fight back?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

She glanced over at Teddy and Jacob. "And you two?"

Teddy shuffled his feet. "Ma'am, the guy was beating Myron up. We had to help." he glanced sideways at Myron, who was tapping his feet and not looking at anyone.

"You could have looked for one of the professors."

"Yeah, I s'pose..." Teddy mumbled. At the time, joining in the fight had seemed like the best thing to do. He didn't even consider the idea that the boy might have to be sent to the Hospital Wing.

McGonagall sighed in resignation. "Well, it's detention for all of you." She peered up and her voice took a stern tone. "This is your third infraction. I'll have to send a letter to each of your parents."

All three boys froze up. Jacob stammered. "I — I don't — that — no — my — you —"

"I _will_ send out letters," McGonagall said, her voice raising in volume and confidence. "You boys are in my house, so I expect better from all of you. You are dismissed."

* * *

Professor Barkwith patrolled the classroom, scanning the colorful contents of his student's cauldrons. When student appeared to be doing a competent job, he nodded fleetingly and moved on. When he reached Victoire and Raymond, however, a frown crossed his face. "Miss Weasley, Mr. Ogg, I see you're having a bit of trouble with your potions?"

Victoire sat up straight. "A bit, sir, it isn't coming out quite the way I'd hoped." She glanced up at the dissatisfied grimace her teacher wore. "But I'm sure I'll get it right soon enough."

Barkwith shook his head in disdain, then peered into the cauldron. "Miss Weasley, how many pinches of the powder did you add?"

Victoire clamped her eyes shut, trying to remember. "Three? Yeah, three." She popped her eyes open to see the professor's head still shaking. "Is that not...right?"

"How about you read the book again?"

Victoire nodded hastily. "Of course, sir." She flipped back a page, and swept her eyes over the instructions. Her face fell. "Oh...it's three." She read on, "And I was supposed to stir the mixture counter-clockwise." She mentally chastised herself, then peeked at Professor Barkwith.

He spoke, the disapproval clear in his tone. "I'm afraid you'll have to start your brew over again." He glanced at the clock. "If you start now, and work swiftly, you might be able to have an almost-decent mixture by the end of the period. But hurry." He glanced over at Raymond's cauldron. "Yours is better, you just didn't stir it enough." He shifted his eyes between the two students, then stepped over to the next table to evaluate Simone and a Slytherin named Paige.

Victoire immediately smacked her forehead. "I can't believe I was so stupid." She collected her ingredients and began to clean her cauldron. "How am I supposed to get any of the teachers to like me if I'm such a failure?"

"Don't say that," said Raymond, glancing at her sideways while picking up his spoon.

"It's true, though," she mumbled. "None of the teachers like me, no matter how hard I try." She leafed through the shabby pages of her textbook and started mixing together the ingredients as instructed. "Professor Longbottom thinks I'm a snob—"

"Well, you did complain about the dirt getting in your hair—"

"—and Professor Binns doesn't even realize I exist—"

"That's different, he doesn't notice anybo—"

"And I _know_ Professor Thrussington gave me the stink eye when I mixed up boggarts and grindylows."

"Okay, now you're just being silly." Raymond paused to pour some of his Forgetfulness Potion into his vial. "And what about McGonagall? She likes you well enough."

"But I'm not her favorite." She frowned. "Can't I just be someone's favorite? Is that too much to ask for? It's not like I slack off or anything!"

Raymond turned to face his friend. "Victoire, relax. You're great, and you know it."

She didn't face him back. She continued to work on the potion as instructed. Once it started brewing potions, she sent a brief glance his way and scratched her neck. "That's a matter of opinion."

"Don't put yourself down like that, you're amazing, and super nice to everyone."

"Eh." The conversation died down after that, and Victoire hurried to finish up.

She had barely handed her vial to Professor Barkwith when he called out, "Alright, everyone's dismissed." The students scrambled out the classroom, and Victoire headed back to her desk to clean up.

"Don't worry, I'll clean it for you," said Raymond,

Victoire rattled her head back and forth. "No, it's okay."

"I insist." He reached forward and started collecting the remainders. "You've had a bad day, you deserve to at least be able to get to lunch on time." Victoire opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "Go."

She tossed him a grateful smile. "I'll make it up to you later." She picked up her bag and shot out of the classrom.

Raymond's eyes lingered on the empty doorway for a couple of seconds, and then he focused his attention on cleaning up her ingredients.

Suddenly, he felt hands tugging violently on his arm. He let out a little yelp and spun around to see a wide-eyed Simone.

He noted her jumpy attitude. "What happened?"

Simone blinked. "You fancy Victoire! How have I not noticed until now?"

Raymond's face pinkened slightly. "Err..."

Simone grinned. "You're not denying it!" Her expression was bordering triumphant. "You make it so obvious!"

His eyes caught Barkwith's, and he and Simone quickly rushed to finish cleaning what remained of Victoire's potion. He hushed his tone as he spoke. "What do you mean, obvious?"

"Well, did you even see yourself earlier?" Her voice changed tone. "_Oh, Victoire, you're great, you'ra amazing, you're so nice, please kiss me!_"

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He tried again, his voice coming out slightly squeaky. "I didn't say that last part."

"But you were thinking it." He didn't have a response, so she continued excitedly. "I bet she likes you back, I've got to fin—"

"No!" Raymond shouted abruptly. Professor Barkwith looked in his direction, raising an eyebrow. Raymond hurried out of the room with the supplies, and Simone followed. He hushed his voice. "Look, don't tell her. I'm finally able to keep up a decent conversation with her, and I don't want to ruin that by letting her know."

Simone gritted her teeth. "I can't really keep a secret well. You know that."

"Please?"

She sighed, then turned her gaze down the Great Hall. "I'll try my best."

* * *

The next morning, Teddy, Myron, and Jacob were in the Great Hall at the Gryffindor table. Teddy was enjoying his bacon when the mail came in.

"Letter from my mum. Typical," said Myron, who ripped it up, and dunked the pieces into his goblet.

A red letter dropped in front of Teddy. It started smoking.

Jacob looked at it. "Isn't that a Howler?" Teddy simply nodded.

Myron looked gleeful. "Those things explode! Come on, we can slip it under the Slytherin table—"

Teddy shook his head. "No, that's not fair." He slid slightly under the table, dropping his napkin. He took a deep breath and opened it.

A woman's voice blasted out. "THEODORE REMUS LUPIN! MCGONAGALL SAID YOU GOT INTO A FIGHT! DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW SERIOUS THAT IS?! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE RESPONSIBLE YOUNG MAN YOU USED TO BE?! IF YOUR PARENTS WERE ALIVE, THEY'D BE SO ASHAMED OF YOU! GETTING INTO FIGHTS, SENDING PEOPLE TO THE HOSPITAL WING, THAT'S NOT THE TYPE OF PERSON I RAISED! I EXPECT MORE OF YOU!"

The letter exploded. Everyone at his table was looking at him. He hung his head, not looking back. He noticed the ashes left from the Howler and started brushing them away from the food.

"Yikes, that's rough," said Myron, taking a bite out of a pancake. "That's your grandmum? She sure knows how to yell." He stopped chewing and looked up thoughtfully. "From now on, we should be more careful. We can't get caught. And I've got the perfect idea. If we can just get—"

"I don't know about this." The words came out of Teddy's mouth slowly and quietly.

Myron's jaw dropped, pancakes and syrup trailing out. "Wha...?"

Teddy shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe they're right. Maybe we're going too far."

Jacob looked nervous, his fingers tapping frantically at the tip of his plate. Myron's eyes were nearly bulging out of his face. "Are you kidding me? You get one Howler, and now you're doubtful?" He swallowed his food, and looked at him. "Come on, it's fun. And it's not like we're hurting anyone with the pranks. It's just when they come up to us and attack that we have to fight back. It's not being violent, it's just self-defense."

"I don't—"

"Well, you don't even have to fight back next time, I'll take care of it, all right? Then you won't even get in trouble."

"But—"

"It's the Gryffindor tradition, remember?" Myron shook his fork at Teddy. "Didn't your father play pranks all the time anyway?"

Teddy flinched. Hearing his grandmother mention his father had given him a jolt, and now her words rang in his ears. "_If your parents were alive, they'd be so ashamed of you_!" Was she wrong? His father _was_ a prankster at Hogwarts...

"Jacob?" said Myron, and Teddy snapped out of his thoughts. "What do you think?"

Jacob glanced back and forth between Myron and Teddy. "Gotta say I agree with Myron. He makes some good points."

"Yeah, I s'pose he does." Teddy's eyes slid down the table at a little blonde first year girl.

* * *

"I hate Howlers so much." Simone took a sip of orange juice. "They're so loud, they ruin breakfast for everyone." She glanced down and noticed a letter on top of her pancakes. "Hey look, my mum wrote me." She tore open the envelope. "Let's see ... _Dear Simone_ ... blah blah blah ... _your father got a new job_ ... blah blah blah ... ooh! What've you got there, Victoire?"

Victoire was holding a letter in her hands. She carefully opened it, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. She scanned it over. "It's some sort of love letter. It's signed _from your Secret Admirer_."

Simone snapped her head over at Raymond. He shrugged.

Victoire folded the parchment and slid it under her plate. "Well that's nice." She picked up her knife and fork and began cutting her pancakes.

Simone stared at her. "You just got a love letter and you're not the least bit curious who wrote it?"

Victoire shrugged at her, popping a pancake piece into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed before responding. "I mean, I'm flattered, but it's not like I need a boyfriend right now."

She wiped her mouth with her napkin, not noticing Simone gaping at her. As she reached for her glass of juice, Simone blurted, "Do you fancy Raymond back?"

Victoire nearly dropped her glass. "What?" She looked at Raymond, who was interchangingly looking down at his food and glaring at Simone. "You don't fancy me, do you?"

He muttered, almost inaudibly, but it sounded something like "maybe a little."

"Oh." She looked down at her own food, processing this new information.

Simone glanced apologetically at Raymond, who avoided her eyes. She turned to Victoire. "You didn't answer my question, though. Do you fancy Raymond?"

Victoire flickered her eyes sideways at Simone. "No, not really." She looked down. "Sorry."

Nobody said anything for a while. Victoire turned her head off to the side, avoiding her friends' eyes. She could've sworn for a moment she noticed Teddy looking at her.

* * *

**A/N: Shoot, I don't know about you, but Raymond and Simone are my ****favorite characters right now.**

**And NO, we have not yet met the guy who sent Victoire the letter. You'll find out who, but I promise, it was NOT anyone we met yet.**

**REVIEW PLEASE! Again, criticism is great, it helps keep my writing in check.**


	4. Apology (noun)

**A/N:**

**Hey!**

**I'd apologize for the slow update, but...I won't. Sorry, but don't worry, after May 30, updates will come much quicker! Three weeks! And anyway, isn't it better for me to update slow at first and fast later than fast at first and then, once I have a bunch of readers, I slow down?**

**SomeoneThatCares: Aww thanks! Your review made my day! No, I haven't written it all yet, but I do have an outline. And I plan on making it 20 chapters but there are a few conditions like the last two chapters might be combined and if I write a chapter and it's super long, I'll split it in two. So we'll see. As for updating, my goal is once a week but my teachers think it's funny to pile homework upon homework so who knows. But I'll do my best. And Teddy? Yeah, I feel Remus was the least prankster-y but of course Teddy doesn't know that :/ And we'll see what happens :) ;)**

**rapunzelsa: Okay umm if I were to respond to everything you said it would take forever, so please know I read and thought about all of it even if i don't mention it now. 1) OMG NO WAY YOU ARE MY FAVORITE PERSON EVER 2) About the wand. It actually is unimportant, but I'm leaving it open in case I can tie it in later. And my idea was she just ordered a wand, but it wasn't _hers_ (the wand chooses the wizard) 3) Man I was so proud when I wrote that chip scene, so you talking about it was AMAZING 4) Hmm in my head the 3 boys are like "wannabe-Marauders" but I guess I didn't make that clear enough. I'll try to work on that. 5) And finally, about Raymond. Well, 11-year olds almost always have crushes, but I _can_ see how I made Raymond's too prominent. 6) McGonagall retired? Did not know that. Huh.**

**Anyways folks sorry if this chapter sucks my school work is killing me so I wasn't able to really edit it. I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER.**

**Disclaimer: If JK Rowling and Warner Bros suddenly stop being the owners of Harry Potter, then I'm a penguin.**

**Random Penguin: Cool!**

**Me: ...what?**

* * *

Apology:

_(n). a written or spoken expression of one's regret, remorse, or sorrow for having insulted, failed, injured,or wronged another_

* * *

_Chapter 3: Apology_

_o_

_Six months later_

_o_

"So then Barkwith told us that if we didn't pass the exam, he wouldn't let us into his class next year." Victoire bit her lip, looking worried. "He can't really do that, can he? Because I like Potions, but I don't think I pass—"

Bill chuckled. "Relax, all second years have to take Potions, no matter how they do on their final examinations. Though I'm certain you'll pass with flying colors."

She slouched. "You only think that 'cause you haven't seen me in my classes this year. I'm rubbish."

Dominique munched on a baby carrot. "She's probably right."

Fleur looked at her with narrow eyes. "Dominique, it is not nice to be rude to your sister like that."*

"I was just joking. Victoire knows that, right Vicky?"

"Sure," said Victoire. She turned back to Bill. "Well, anyway, the exa—"

There was a loud knocking. All of the heads snapped towards the door. The knocking continued.

"I'll get it!" Louis shouted, jumping out of his seat and sprinting for the door. He opened it, producing a loud creaking sound. A moment later, he hollered, "It's Teddy!"

"Let him in," said Fleur, and Louis complied. Victoire silently slid out of her seat. She focused her attention on the staircase. Her foot slithered across the floor—

"Hey, Victoire!"

She let out a little huff, then twisted her neck. "Hey, Teddy."

He held up a large red ball. "My grandmum decided not to ground me. Want to play some Quidditch?"

Victoire opened her mouth to say "no", but Teddy continued. "Now, before you say no, don't worry. I know you can't fly well, so we'll play it on foot." His mouth stretched into a playful smile. "It'll be fun, like old times."

"Err..." her eyes flickered toward the staircase. She glanced at the bright, earnest look on Teddy's face. She groaned. "Fine." She stood, rolled up her sleeves, and followed Teddy out the back door.

Teddy seemed distracted, and looked out at the beach. "Merlin, it's been forever. Between being stuck inside Hogwarts all year and my grandmum lecturing me on 'how my behavior is simply disgraceful', it'll be nice to just have some fun, finally."

Victoire stared. "Then why do you prank so much, if it's not for fun?"

He shrugged one shoulder, bouncing the Quaffle with his knee. "Yeah, it's pretty fun, just not in the same way, y'know?"

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion, but she didn't ask for elaboration. She stared at the Quaffle. "So how do we play? Y'know, with two players and one ball."

"And no brooms," said Teddy. He began rolling the ball in his hands, and looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "Honestly, I have no idea. I just needed an excuse to get out of that house, and it's been so long since we've done anything fun together."

"And whose fault is that?"

He cleared his throat. "Right." He dug his foot into the sand, then glanced up. He had trouble reading her expression. Then he grinned. "Here, catch!"

Suddenly, the ball was whizzing through the air. Victoire reached up to catch it, but it slammed into her hands and smashed into the ground, splashing some sand into Victoire's shoes. Victoire rubbed her wrist grumpily. "That hurt."

Teddy stepped forward. "Here, you have to learn how to catch. Like this," he said, reaching forward to grab her arms.

She yanked them back. "I'm fine." She crouched down and tugged the ball out of the sand. "Your turn." She stood up straight and tossed it in his direction. He caught it effortlessly. They began throwing the Quaffle back and forth, no words coming out.

Time flew by, and the sun was burning at the top of the sky when a voice rang out. "Victoire! Mum's calling you!" Victoire turned toward the voice and saw Dominique leaning out of the doorway, one leg flying in the air.

She set the ball down, and glanced at Teddy, who just looked at her and nodded. She then dashed over to the door, and was barely inside when Fleur said, "You have vi—"

"Simone! Raymond!" Victoire grinned, and stepped forward.

"Hey, Vic." said Simone, patting her hands against Victoire's back as the two hugged. "Your mum's really pretty, you know, you look just like her."

Victoire shrugged and gave Raymond a quick hug. She looked over her two friends. "So how've you been? How'd you get here?"

Simone sat down. "I'm all right, though I had to take care of my useless little brothers for the past week. My mum kept yelling at me over and over again." She shook her head. "Not fun. I needed a break, so I decided to drop by Raymond's house. He was getting beaten up by a couple of teenagers—"

"I wasn't getting beaten up," insisted Raymond. "Me and my brothers were just wrestling a bit."

"Maybe they were, but I don't know what you were doing other than being sat on." She focused her attention on Victoire. "Anyway, I rescue him and we come over here. End of story." She leaned back. "So what now? What were you doing just now?"

"I—"

"Hey, 'Toire?" Teddy poked his head through the door frame. "I was playing by myself and the Quaffle kinda-sorta accidentally fell into the ocean. We can't use magic out of school, and you know I hate swimming." He looked up at the ceiling fan. "So...it looks like you're going to have to get it. Sorry."

Victoire shot him an incredulous look. "Why on earth should I go get it?"

"Like I just said, I hate swimming. And if I don't get it back, my grandmum's probably going to ground me again for losing stuff."

She groaned. "I'm busy."

Teddy finally noticed Simone and Raymond, who were staring at him, astounded. "Oh, hi. I'm Teddy Lupin."

"Yeah, I know." Simone kept staring. "You're the one who set the carpet on fire last month."

He glanced sideways at Bill, who was looking at him with raised eyebrows. "Well, really, that was more Myron than me, but I'm glad you recognize me."

Raymond silently inched over to Victoire. He leaned into her ear and whispered, "Why is he here?"

"Family friend," came her hushed response.

Simone bounced off the sofa. "Well, luckily for you fellows, I love swimming. I'll get the Quaffle!" She darted toward the door.

Victoire held out her hand. "Wait! I can just—" Simone had already disappeared out the door frame. Victoire lowered her hand awkwardly. "...ask my dad to get it." She groaned, then stood up, stretching out to grab Raymond's forearm. "Come on, let's go follow her, make sure she doesn't drown."

She bounded for the door, clutching Raymond's arm as he hurried to catch up and not be dragged along the floor. As she passed through the door, she hesitated, and then grabbed Teddy's arm with her right hand. The three tumbled outside, where Simone was already in the water, swimming for the floating ball.**

Victoire let of of the two boys and made for the water's edge. "Almost got it?" Simone flashed a grin back, them dipped her head below the surface. She resurfaced a few seconds later, only a foot away from the Quaffle. She grabbed it and held it high, and Victoire, Raymond, and Teddy clapped politely. Simone paddled with one arm toward the shore, and soon was wringing water out of her hair.

"Y'know, I could've gotten my dad to get it. Or just let the tide bring it back."

Simone shrugged, then tossed the ball towards the boys. Teddy caught it and spun it in his hands. "I just noticed this, but he's kind of cute up close."

Victoire stared at her. "Who? Teddy?"

Simone nodded. "I think I fancy him."

Victoire craned her neck, and saw Teddy offering the ball to Raymond, who shook his head. Looking back at Simone, she cried, "You can't fancy one of my friends!"

"Sure I can. What about you and Raymond? He liked you well enough a while ago."***

"And that was weird enough, remember? We couldn't even look each other in the eye for nearly a week!"

Suddenly, ball came flying between them. Both heads snapped towards Teddy, who called out, "Let's keep playing! The more the merrier, right?"

Simone turned her head straight again. "See? He's nice, too!"

Victoire cried in indignation. "No, he's not, he's a jerk and doesn't even know what being a friend means!"

"Then why are you friends with him?"

"I'm not!"

"You just said you were!"

Victoire hesitated. "Tha — I — I don't even know."

Simone picked the ball up and shook the sand off. "Then ask him." She tossed it towards Teddy, and called out, "Hey, you and Victoire are friends, right?"

He shouted back, "I hope so!"

He tossed the ball again, and this time Victoire caught it. "What kind of friends don't even talk to each other during school?"

"I told you, I'm sorry! Next year, we can—"

The ball soared toward Teddy, who barely caught it. He stared at it for a long time.

"Vic." Simone tugged on Victoire's sleeve. "Just forget it."

Victoire nodded absentmindedly. "All right."

Simone squinted to look at Raymond, who was looking pointedly at a cloud. "Raymond! Come on! Let's all go swimming!" He noticed her and nodded enthusiastically.

Raymond dashed toward the girls, leaving Teddy with a dust cloud. Teddy looked at the three kids, then wordlessly tucked the ball under his arm and headed for the door.

Victoire watched him go. Then she blinked and turned to see Simone staring at her.

"I was just joking, y'know. I don't really fancy him. He's not even my type."

Victoire scoffed. "As if you have a type."

"Sure I do." Simone glanced at the ocean. "So, swimming?"

* * *

**Again, I know the writing wasn't nearly as good as it should have been, so I'm sorry about that. I mean really, I'm trying really hard not to stab myself for cr*ppy writing. I mean, that second half just went zoom! Too fast. When I have time, I'll go back and work on pacing.**

**Anyway, I have a question for you. What did Simone really mean? Does she really like Teddy, or was she just joking like she said? And does she have a type, or is she too young? (Though let's face it, when I was her age I knew exactly what kind of guy I wanted to marry XD ) These questions won't have any relevance to the plot for a long time, but I still want them to linger in your mind for a bit, if you would. Thanks! (And please don't say she doesn't know him, she's obviously seen him around school and has heard enough about him, it's totally conceivable for her to have at least a little crush.)**

***I was going to write Fleur's dialogue like JK Rowling did in the book, which puts emphasis on her French accent, but it occurred to me that at this point in the story, she's been in Britain for about 14 years. Surely Bill's accent has rubbed off by now. And besides, I feel like writeeng like dees becomes a deestraction. If you really want the accent, use your imagination.**

****Do Quaffles float? They should. And don't go on about density and being scientific, cuz I'm 97% sure the Wizarding World has a floating charm even if JK Rowling didn't write about it.**

*****Might as well tell you now that no, Raymond and Victoire are nowhere near done, even if Simone feels he stopped liking her.**


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